Celebrating Our Leapling: A 10th Official Birthday for Our Resident Bookworm.

This week, we marked a very special occasion in our family - the birthday of our leapling, the man of the house, and most importantly, “Daddy” to our little girl. My partner, Richy, celebrated his 10th official birthday, meaning that this year, he turned 40 years old.

The Rarity of a Leap Year Birthday

Leap years occur every four years to account for the fact that a full orbit around the sun takes approximately 365.25 days. By adding an extra day - February 29th, every four years, we keep our calendar in sync with the Earth’s movement.

Being born on February 29th is incredibly rare, with odds of just 1 in 1,461 which is less than 0.1% of the population are leaplings! Many leaplings believe leap years bring them extra luck or positive experiences. Given the rocky start we’ve had to this year, we’re hoping Richy’s leap year birthday brings a wave of good fortune our way.

This is only the second leap year birthday I’ve had the chance to celebrate with him. In 2016, the year we first met, I had no idea that summer would bring the start of our relationship. In 2020, his next leap year birthday, I celebrated with him for the first time and that summer, we found out we were expecting our daughter. So, what will 2024’s leap year luck bring? Only time will tell!

What It’s Like to Be a Leapling

Having an “official” birthday is a unique experience, Richy didn’t celebrate his first real birthday until he turned four. (Coincidentally, that same leap year, I experienced my very first leap year too, turning one in April.)

Like many leaplings, Richy gets especially excited for leap years. This year, he was counting down the days on the calendar in anticipation. Since February 29th only comes around once every four years, we celebrate the in-between years as unbirthdays. On non-leap years, Richy’s family chose to celebrate on February 28th rather than splitting it between two months, though many leaplings opt for March 1st, as it feels more like a full year.

A Simple, Slow, and Sustainable Celebration

This year, we wanted to keep the celebration slow, simple, and eco-friendly. We decorated with reusable paper banners and biodegradable balloons, made homemade cards, and even baked a three-tiered birthday cake - a first for both me and our daughter! (I’m very much a novice baker, but we gave it our best shot!)

Our morning started with a relaxed pancake breakfast, served with fresh fruit, yogurt, and maple syrup. Afterward, we exchanged gifts. I got Richy a Kindle Paperwhite - a non-essential luxury, but the perfect gift for our resident bookworm. True to his nature, he also bought a gift - not for himself, but for our daughter! He picked out a new board game, a welcome change from the one we’ve been playing daily since Christmas. She was thrilled to receive a present too.

Exploring Local Treasures

Later in the day, we headed into Stornoway to visit our favorite local businesses. First stop: Sandwick Bay Candles, a beautiful, well-curated candle shop that was offering a special treat - a free candle for any leapling who visited that day! We left with a Sea Grass candle for Richy and a handmade lavender hand soap that caught my eye.

Next, we browsed Bethesda’s Hospice Charity Shop, always a treasure trove of unique finds. This time, we picked up some gorgeous handmade bowls, side plates, and - Richy’s personal highlight - The West Wing box set, all for under £10! I had been meaning to replace some mismatched plates, and the bowls were simply too beautiful to pass up.

An Italian Feast at La Balena

After an afternoon nap for our daughter, we decided to push our dinner reservation back an hour to avoid rushing. At 7 PM, we headed to La Balena, a new Italian restaurant in Stornoway. Given that Richy is of Italian descent on his mother’s side, Italian cuisine makes up about 70-80% of our meals at home, so we were eager to see how La Balena compared.

It did not disappoint.

The restaurant was fully booked - impressive for a Thursday evening, especially on such a rainy day. The service was outstanding, and they were wonderfully accommodating of our dietary needs. I never pass up a pizza at an Italian restaurant, and this one was absolutely worth it!

At the end of our meal, the staff kindly brought out our homemade birthday cake, and we all sang Happy Birthday to our leapling.

A Nostalgic End to the Night

After dinner, Richy’s family surprised him with thoughtful gifts and old photographs, reminiscing about past leap year birthdays. Many of the photos showed him as a child exploring the Hebrides and other Scottish islands, like Shetland. Looking at them, you’d think he had been raised here - it seems only natural that he ended up settling down and raising his own family on these islands.

A Birthday to Remember

All in all, we had a wonderful day celebrating Richy’s 10th official birthday. There’s an undeniable energy that comes with a leap year, and we’re feeling hopeful about what’s to come.

Are you a leapling, or do you know someone who is? We’d love to hear about your experiences celebrating a leap year birthday!

Til next time | Lesley-Anne